EU vs Irish licence

GERMAN ROCKS

are they too different licences. i have a full irish licence. was just looking at my insurance policy and it said i could drive others cars third party if i had a full eu licence. are they the same licences or are they different

peasant

Ireland has been in the EU since what ...1973 ??:D

Irish licence = EU licence

corktina

by EU license i expect they mean a license from another member state.

CiniO

corktina wrote: »

by E£U license i expect they mean an license from another member state.

No. They mean a licence from any EU member state. That includes Ireland.
Is there any reason why it could not include Ireland?

Shane732

CiniO wrote: »

No. They mean a licence from any EU member state. That includes Ireland.
Is there any reason why it could not include Ireland?

Becuase we're about to get kicked out of the EU?

Jarren

Driving in the EU

Will a driving licence issued in one Member State be recognised in other Member States? I am an Irish citizen holding an Irish driving licence. I will get married later this year and plan to take up residence in Portugal with my Portuguese husband. Will I have to obtain a Portuguese driving licence when I move to Portugal or will the authorities recognise my Irish licence?

Directive 91/439/EEC provides for the mutual recognition of driving licences in the EU. Based on this Directive, provided it is valid in Ireland your Irish driving licence is valid in Portugal and should be recognised there. It is not necessary for you to obtain a Portuguese driving licence when you take up residence in Portugal.

However, the general rule is that if you hold a valid driving licence and take up "normal residence" in a Member State other than the one that issued the licence, the host Member State i.e. Portugal, may enter on the licence any information needed for administration purposes and may apply its national rules on:

the period of validity of the licence;
medical checks (same frequency as for nationals);
tax arrangements (connected with the holding of a licence);
penalties (e.g. a penalty-points licence);
restriction, suspension, withdrawal or cancellation of the licence.
Is it necessary to obtain additional car insurance when travelling to another Member State?

Your car insurance policy will automatically provide, at no extra cost, the minimum cover (third party liability) required by law. This applies in all Member States as well as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

If you have comprehensive insurance at home, you should check that the cover extends to travelling in other countries. You may also have to consider vehicle breakdown insurance.

Where can I obtain further information on travelling in the EU?

You can obtain further information on travelling in the EU on the following website: http://europa.eu/travel/index_en.htm


http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/contact_us/faq/mobility/index_en.htm

keithclancy

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

are they too different licences. i have a full irish licence. was just looking at my insurance policy and it said i could drive others cars third party if i had a full eu licence. are they the same licences or are they different

I suspect you mean other Countries. I.E. any country in the EU that issues a Driving license, its an EU Driving license.

I still have my Irish license driving on Dutch plates with Dutch Insurance and the insurance company says its perfectly fine

corktina

CiniO wrote: »

No. They mean a licence from any EU member state. That includes Ireland.
Is there any reason why it could not include Ireland?

thats what I said...:rolleyes: Irish license or license from any other member country....

keithclancy

CiniO wrote: »

No. They mean a licence from any EU member state. That includes Ireland.
Is there any reason why it could not include Ireland?

Because you might be one of them boggers that got a driving license during the amnesty and now can drive an artic trailer even though you've only ever driven a moped and ticked every box on the form for the craic

Alun

keithclancy wrote: »

Because you might be one of them boggers that got a driving license during the amnesty and now can drive an artic trailer even though you've only ever driven a moped and ticked every box on the form for the craic

If you think that's bad, I remember being told (by a Belgian!) that Belgium didn't have driving licences at all until the early 1960's, although I can't find any reliable online source that would confirm that.

Joe 90

Alun wrote: »

If you think that's bad, I remember being told (by a Belgian!) that Belgium didn't have driving licences at all until the early 1960's, although I can't find any reliable online source that would confirm that.

I have a vague memory of reading, sometime back in the 60s, that belgeum did not have any for of driveing licence up untill about 1963. At least in Ireland you had to fill in a form and send a pound off to the Co. Council.

keithclancy

Alun wrote: »

If you think that's bad, I remember being told (by a Belgian!) that Belgium didn't have driving licences at all until the early 1960's, although I can't find any reliable online source that would confirm that.

Nah .... I think thats 2010
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=nl&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnos.nl%2Fartikel%2F148075-100000-belgen-rijden-zonder-rijbewijs.html

Belgians drive like their on CRACK most of the time.

ArphaRima

Best off not having a licence for the country you are resident in tbh. -That way you generally cant get points, just fines..

santiago

fluffer wrote: »

Best off not having a licence for the country you are resident in tbh. -That way you generally cant get points, just fines..

Wrong !
the points are 'sent' to your EU country were your licence was issued.
Usually the insurance is 20% cheaper if you have an Irish licence .I guess is related to left hand driving.

ArphaRima

santiago wrote: »

Wrong !
the points are 'sent' to your EU country were your licence was issued.

Wait a minute. Am I wrong? Do they?

I have never heard of it happening. Please do enlighten me. I am living in the UK. I'm 99% sure I cant get points on my UK licence when I'm in Ireland. My understanding is that the only agreement in place is that driving bans are enforced cross-border.

Jarren

santiago wrote: »

Wrong !
the points are 'sent' to your EU country were your licence was issued.
Usually the insurance is 20% cheaper if you have an Irish licence .I guess is related to left hand driving.

Would you kindly provide me with the link for above please?

the only 2 good websites I found here


http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/travel-and-recreation/motoring-1/driving-offences/penalty-points-for-driving-offences


http://www.rsa.ie/RSA/Licensed-Drivers/Penalty-points/

it does not say that penalty points are transferable to other EU countries

what is says is

Do penalty points apply to all Irish driving licences?


Yes. Penalty points apply to both provisional and full Irish driving licences. Penalty points also apply to drivers with foreign driving licences driving in Ireland. If someone is driving in Ireland on a foreign licence, the driver's details are held on a separate database for the purpose of recording penalty points. If that driver applies for and obtains an Irish driving licence, the penalty points are then activated on that licence.

so basically from what I can read foreign driving licence holders are in
privileged position unless they apply for Irish licence.

Now ... can anyone correct on that if I'm wrong?

Our man in Havana

Correct.

Only the Irish government can put points on my licence, not the French, Poles or Greeks.

santiago

fluffer wrote: »

Wait a minute. Am I wrong? Do they?

I have never heard of it happening. Please do enlighten me. I am living in the UK. I'm 99% sure I cant get points on my UK licence when I'm in Ireland. My understanding is that the only agreement in place is that driving bans are enforced cross-border.

I was speaking with some polish boys last year and they told me that.
After 30 sec on google I have found:
Does this also mean that penalty points will be recognised in other EU states?
>No. The penalty points system is distinct and separate. Work continues at EU level to introduce a system of recognition for penalty point offences, but this remains some time off yet.

So mea culpa!

Thats why probably the insurance companies are charging 20%less an irish licence holder.
The EU licence holder will not worry to much about any penalty points if cought speeding or dangerous driving,etc

keithclancy

santiago wrote: »

Wrong !
the points are 'sent' to your EU country were your licence was issued.
Usually the insurance is 20% cheaper if you have an Irish licence .I guess is related to left hand driving.

Don't think so.

They can say you have points until the cows come home, but there is no way of them applying the points in your country of issues unless there is some specific agreement between those two countries.

i.e. You can get points in Germany, but they only apply in Germany. Drive back home and they don't apply, or drive anywhere else for that matter and they dont apply.

Also, you'll still get on the spot fines, but if they dont have your license number they have no way of recording your points.

I.E. I live in Holland, got a German speeding ticket, it was sent to my house in Holland but the Dutch didnt furnish any License details with the Germans.

Mainly down to the Points system differing between countries.

However a number of countries hold that on file, so if you ever exchange your license it'll come with points attached.

msullyo

i have full irish which is not a eu licence! i moved to uk and i have diabetes!!looking at dvla web site it can be difficult to get uk licence how do u go about getting a eu licence???

ABajaninCork

msullyo wrote: »

i have full irish which is not a eu licence! i moved to uk and i have diabetes!!looking at dvla web site it can be difficult to get uk licence how do u go about getting a eu licence???

Eh? An Irish licence IS an EU licence. It's not difficult at all to get a UK licence. All you have to do is exchange it for a UK one via the DVLA if you want to. I know relatives who have exchanged West Indian licences for UK ones without any bother.

msullyo

thanks but dvla have strict guidelines regarding having diabetes!!dont think they'l do a straight exchange!!

ABajaninCork

msullyo wrote: »

thanks but dvla have strict guidelines regarding having diabetes!!dont think they'l do a straight exchange!!

Obviously, you'll need to provide evidence of your fitness to drive. I would take advice from the DVLA.

biko

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/driving-with-diabetes.html

Who do I need to inform about my diabetes?
No matter how your diabetes is treated, you must by law inform your insurance company that you have diabetes.
If your diabetes is treated with insulin, you must inform the DVLA.
If you are applying for a driving licence for the first time, and your diabetes is treated with tablets or insulin, you also must inform the DVLA.

In addition:
You must inform the DVLA if any diabetes complications develop that may affect your ability to drive safely.
If you fail to inform the DVLA or your insurance company then your driving insurance will be invalid.
You do not need to tell the DVLA if you are treated by diet alone or by tablets that do not bring on hypoglycemia. However, if you change from tablets to insulin treatment, then they must be informed.

confuseddotcom

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Eh? An Irish licence IS an EU licence.

When seeking a quote; - Aviva Website is currently asking me for my Licence Type, there is 4 options:

^ Full Irish
^ Provisional Irish
^ Full EU
^ Full UK.

So from options above they are NOT the same irrespective of whether Ireland is in the EU or the UEFA Cup!!! In terms of getting Insurance they are different, it seems, for Aviva anyway...... Havn't been asked that on any other Sites so far just Aviva. Any search I do about EU and Irish it seems to state that so long as your European Licence is valid you don't need to get a specific Irish Licence so they must be different?!?

Although on the front page of D.L. it says, Ireland IRL Driving Licence on top and European Communities Model at the bottom so it's anyone's guess?!? Well I sat Test in Ireland and D.L. was issued here so am going with that. But it's likely wrong! :rolleyes:

jimgoose

This is not complicated! An "EU license" is a license issued by the relevant competent authority in a state which is a member of an EU. An "Irish license" is a license issued by the relevant (in)competent authority in Ireland, and it is also an EU license. The one is a subset of t'other, laaahk!

kuli81

Just checked Axa online, drivers with non irish license have to pay 150 euro more for their insurance. Looks like a joke for me. Are people with non irish licenses bigger danger on the road? And if yes, is the danger reduced when they`ll change it for irish???? Not fair....

H3llR4iser

santiago wrote: »

Wrong !
the points are 'sent' to your EU country were your licence was issued.
Usually the insurance is 20% cheaper if you have an Irish licence .I guess is related to left hand driving.

Wrong on all counts.

The points can't be sent to the "country of origin" of the license; Any sanction applies only in the EU state the offence has been committed and the points system peculiar to a member state doesn't apply outside its borders,they tend to be different.

For example, Italian licenses use a subtraction system; A new license comes with 20 points and points are deducted for each offence until they reach zero (the deductions are outrageous...speeding is -10 points, for example). Try to imagine what would happen if the Garda sent the Italian Police a notice to "add 2 points to license XYZ09876". Or to try and get insurance when you tell them "my license is clean, I have 20 points"

As for insurance costs, the 20% figure is beyond optimistic. I ran a quote on 123.ie for my renewal in September and the figure is DOUBLE that of the same profile with an Irish license; As a matter of fact, if I had an Irish learner permit I would end up paying exactly the same as with my EU license. Of course different companies might apply different premiums.
Needless to say, it's just a plain flat scam on the part of insurers who take advantage of the relatively high number of foreigners living in IE; Seems to have been brought in after the "gender equality" rules were applied (I ran the same quotes last year, and the difference between my EU license and an Irish one was only about 100 euro). Furthermore, from what some posters living in other countries write, it seems that there's no such issue in other EU countries - any EU license is considered exactly equal (including IE and UK ones).

I'd like to hear if somebody is getting shafted by their insurer in, say, France or Germany because of their IE license!

Xeyn

The scam doesn't simply apply to non Irish licenses. I have a full Irish license for the last 4 years but I am charged double for my insurance because my original driving test and license was obtained in a country outside of Ireland but with full endorsement of the RSA in Ireland. There is no way to 'retake' my driving test as a new driver because as far as the authority is concerned I already have a full Irish license and am equal to every other Irish licensed driver out there on zero points.
They further suggested that any insurance company discriminating on that basis could not possibly be a reputable company. 123.ie seem to be the biggest culprits but others do it as well.
Despite the fact that I am a fully licensed Irish driver I am quoted insurance as high as someone with a luxury car on at least 6 points to insure my '97 rover.

candlemouse

Hi received the following explanation. "The difference is that your full irish licence was issued for Ireland and your EU licence was issued from a country outside Ireland or the UK but within the EU excluding the two former countries."

Asmooh

santiago wrote: »

Wrong !
the points are 'sent' to your EU country were your licence was issued.
Usually the insurance is 20% cheaper if you have an Irish licence .I guess is related to left hand driving.

we dont even have a pointing system...

biko

Thread was started 2010. We'll let it lie.